Having released the album hailed by many critiques as one of the best indie-rock records to date last year (Source Tags and Codes), Austin-based And you will know us by the Trail of Dead (ToD) knew what kind of expectations they had in store before the release of their new EP â??The Secret of Elena's Tomb'. Let me be the first to tell you, if you liked Source Tags and Codes (or any of their earlier releases) you will most probably not be disappointed.

Consisting of only 5 songs (19.09 minutes), the EP doesn't have the depth to scar you to the degree their earlier albums did (as often is the case with EP's). The scar it does leave however smells of creativity and quality.

Opening with the intense â??Mach Schau', ToD drives you right into their world of playful guitar-wizardry, perfectly complemented by equally playful bass-lines and bizarre oral utterings. â??All Saints Day' and â??Crowning of a Heart' tunes down a bit, but are in return the two best songs on the EP, and quite possibly two of the best songs ever released by the band. â??Counting off the Days' is more of a sentimental piece, an acoustic guitar and Conrad Keely's voice accompanied by something sounding like a hybrid between an old viking-horn and a fiddle. The last song on the EP is actually an old tune called â??Intelligence', the product of an experiment by Jason Reece and a bunch of his friends. It's really just weird, with drum machines and wicked samples all over the place.

The special atmosphere, creativity and innovation that made ToD what they are today remain very apparent on the EP. As mentioned, if you're a fan, there's absolutely no reason for you not to get this.

To the one below: Correct. Everybody seems to hate categorizing when it comes to music. Would 'post-punked progressive down-tuned hardcore' be a more suitable description? Maybe so, but it would only look silly in a review. ;)

Anonymous (April 7, 2003)

indie seems to be what bands are classified when jackass journalists can't figure out exactly what category they fit in to.

yeah, there is kind of a debate involving the term "indie". people call bands on major labels "indie" all the time, and well, technically they aren't. thse days the word has become more of a genre name than a way to differentiate between mainstream and underground.

with that said, Source Tags and Codes is an awesome record and i would definitely call it one of last year's best.

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

"Intelligence" sounds like a U2 song.

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

Doesn't a band have to be on an indie label to be considered indie rock? I'd just call "Source Tags And Codes" a very good major label experimental rock record.

AYWKUBTTOD needs seguing between their songs; it really helps intensify their songs. I'm sure the next full-length will be as strong as "STAC", if not stronger.